


Schoolmates

by Ahatmadeofcheese



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bad Flirting, Bad Parenting, Friendship, Gen, Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26212000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahatmadeofcheese/pseuds/Ahatmadeofcheese
Summary: A collection of stories about the Marauders, one told from 3/4 of their POVs.
Relationships: Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter
Kudos: 1
Collections: Fic In A Box





	1. Moony’s Marvelous Mates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fictionalfaerie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalfaerie/gifts).



> Hello contest buddy! I usually write Star Wars fanfiction so this was a nice change of pace, though I probably won’t be switching genres anytime soon. I hope you enjoy reading it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or: Remus Lupin and the Best Friends Ever

Remus Lupin was doing okay. Anytime anyone asked him, that was the answer. And, in his opinion, he was! Fifth year of Hogwarts, three best friends, grades that would make any parent proud. The only problem was the fact that every thirty days or so he turned into an aggressive, mindless beast capable of killing pretty much anyone in the building. Which, in addition to being a safety hazard, was also a very painful process. 

Had you asked him four years earlier what he would’ve done if any of his friends knew about his ‘furry little problem’, as James was fond of calling it, he probably would have told you probably change his name and run away to the hinterlands (wherever those are.) Now he would simply smile and nod. Because his three best friends _had_ found out about it nearly four years ago. And, quite honestly, he was glad they did. 

No longer did he have to lie to his dorm-mates (not all of them, anyways) about where he was going every month, no longer did he have to keep all of his frustration with being a werewolf inside. Because he had friends, the best ones in the whole school, and they would listen to him. 

So as he walked towards the dorm early one school year, his mind was firmly fixed on the essay he had to write for transfiguration and the group’s plan for the following day that involved the Slytherin prefects and an impressive amount of whipping cream. By the time he arrived in the common room it was a couple hours after dinner and most of the students were winding down for the night. Textbooks lay abandoned by half-finished excercise sheets while their owners chatted with friends or struck up a casual game of gobstones. Cats purred in their owners laps and dozed by the fire. Though the October chill was settling into the air outside, the Gryffindor common room felt cozier than ever. 

He spotted James, Sirius and Peter at a table far in the corner. Peter seemed to be watching for something, and when his eyes landed on Remus he elbowed the boy sitting next to him and whispered something. Both boys’ eyes shone with excitement. That’s never a good sign, he thought. Cautiously, Remus made his way over to the place where they sat and set down his book bag.

“What’s going on, guys?” he asked, taking the single empty chair. They exchanged grins.

“We’ve come up with a really neat trick.” Oh no. That was also never a good sign, especially coming from James. Remus took in a measured breath, but none of the others elaborated.

“Well... go on then. What is it?” 

“If you come up to the dorm we can show you.” Remus raised an eyebrow.

“Is this another repeat of the ‘Let’s get people to walk through doors that someone is levitating a bucket of water over’ trick? Because I’m not in the mood to take a second shower.” Their grins were not diminished. 

“No, it’s much better than that.” Remus was still thoroughly unconvinced and remained seated. James sighed and dropped his air of mirth. “Come on, mate, it’s not a prank. It’s a surprise.” Those two things had always been suspiciously linked in his vocabulary. Still, Remus sighed and, against his better judgement, followed his friends up the stairs. 

There weren’t any large buckets of water hovering above the door and a surreptitious sniff revealed no foul odor. He stood near the door in case he had to make a quick exit while the other boys filed in. Peter locked the door behind them. Now Remus was really worried. _What on earth do we need to lock the door for?_ The three boys grabbed their wands and stood in front of Remus. _Oh Merlin, they’re going to have a duel_. But they didn’t. They stood comepletely still for a full sixty seconds and then suddenly, began to change.

At first he couldn’t put any words to what was happening. Sirius and Peter began to shrink and James began to grow. Their features blurred, twisted, distorted. Hair grew and shortened, arms became legs. Finally, standing in the fifth year’s dormitory were three creatures. One was a handsome stag. His horns were large and imposing, his legs long and graceful. If stags could grin, this one would be doing it. 

Another was a large, black dog. Sort of like a Mastiff, sort of like a Newfoundland. Its jaws were open, its toungue lolling out. The third creature was also the smallest. A common garden rat was crouched on the ground, it’s whiskers twitching. The long, this tail that trailed out behind it was a pinkish-white. Remus stepped back in shock. Unbidden, his transformation essay came to mind.

“Animagi.” Just as suddenly as before the rat and dog began to grow, the stag to shrink. His friends stood where the animals were, although the animals were his friends. They were still grinning.

“Good surprise, huh?” Remus leaned up against the wall.

“I’m pretty sure this is illegal.” he said, running a hand through his hair, “Not to mention dangerous.” Sirius frowned.

“Do you know _why_ we’ve done it?” Remus shook his head. “For you, you big dummy! Now when you go all loony-moony next month, we can go with you!” His eyes snapped open in shock.

“You can’t do that! What if I bite one of you? What if the headmaster finds out? What if-” James clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Listen, we’ve been working on this for years now. Don’t you think we’ve thought about all those things? Sirius and I are way too big for you to attack and Peter can squeeze into tiny spaces and hide. The headmaster won’t find out because no one will recognize us.” James let out a sigh. “We’re your friends. We know how much it hurts you to go sneaking off to the shack alone. Let us help you!” Remus sighed.

_I can’t let them get hurt. But if I say no they’ll come anyways._ He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and thought some more.

“Fine.” Their faces flew back into happiness.

“Excellent!” Sirius crowed, “This will be our best trick yet!” Remus shook his head.

“I hope so.”

* * *

“I don’t know about this, guys.” Remus said for the seventh time. It was late in the day, and the unpleasant sickness that gripped him before his transformations was setting in. He would be heading to the sick bay soon so that Madame Pomfrey could lead him down to the whomping willow. Sirius groaned. 

“How many times do we have to tell you? We’re following you to the shack and that’s final.” He spared a glance to James, who was flopped on a nearby bed. “Dunno how we’re supposed to fit a whole stag down the tunnel, though. You couldn’t have picked something a little more practical?” James rolled his eyes.

“I _didn’t_ pick,” he replied, exasperated, “We’ve been over this. If I could pick, it would be something a lot cooler. Like a Gryffin. _That_ would be a real lady killer.” 

“Literally, if you’re not careful with those talons.” 

“I think being a stag would be cool,” added Peter. James shrugged. 

“I’d trade, if it weren’t for the fact that you’re a rat.” Remus watched their exchange, feeling torn. _These are definitely my friends,_ he thought. Ever since he realized they’d managed what many N.E.W.T. students couldn’t even attempt, life had felt incongruous with reality. This was a return to form, though, a familiar patch of ground in a swamp of uncertainty. He clung to it.

“You guys are something,” he said, “Probably the youngest Animaguses in the world and you’re complaining about the animals you got.” Sirius shot him a grin.

“It’s your fault, mate. Without you we wouldn’t be the youngest Animaguses in the world.” After a short cough came from a bed across the room he added, “And James. Without your brilliant transfiguration skills we’d all be back at square number one, obviously.” Remus glanced at the clock.

“Well, if all goes well I’ll see you all in a few hours. Give me some time to transform before you show up.” He paused in the doorway. “Is there nothing I can do to make you change your minds?” All three shook their heads no. He sighed. “Bye, then.” And he headed out the door.

* * *

Changing into a werewolf is not a pleasant experience. After being sequestered in the shack for an hour, his arms and legs began to tremble violently. Remus paced the floors, trying to decide on a comfortable spot to settle down. Somehow this transformation held both far more and far less dread than they had in the past. They’ll all be here soon... and by then I’ll just be a mindless killing machine capable of tearing out their throats. His shaking legs supporting him no longer, he collapsed on a ragged, torn couch and curled into a ball, waiting. It was then that he heard a noise from the downstairs.

Remus rolled off the couch, groaning, and crawled over to the bannister. He found himself staring into the dark eyes of a dog. Letting out a shriek (half of pain, half of surprise), He lurches back, folding back in on himself. Sirius the dog steps up the stairs and sits on the floor nearby. He walks a bit stiffly, like he’s not quite used to working four legs instead of two. He’s followed by James the stag and, pattering on little, tiny feet, Peter the rat. Remus looks at all of them for a second through slitted eyes. Then the blinding pain of late-stage transformation tears through him and conscious thought begins to leave him, twisting and warping into

_It smells like fur and blood. The wolf-boy knows these smells well, but never are they this close, unhindered by walls or boards. He opens his jaws slightly and runs a tongue over his lips, eyes darting about the now-bright space. Over on the soft-seat is a large, black dog. Smaller than him, but not small enough to eat without a fight. Near the boarded-over hole in the wall is a deer, good prey- if you have a pack, which the wolf-boy does not. He hungers for man, anyways, not a fellow creature of the forest._

_The smell of fur and blood must be coming from somewhere. The wolf-boy sniffs the air, listens for small noises. And he finds it, the nearly inaudible sound of scrabbling, the rapid beating of a miniscule heart. His head snaps around and he sees the small, grey scrap of fur. He hungers for man... then the little thing scurries away, awakening an urge to chase. This rat will have to do. He bares his teeth, leaps, snarling, claws poised-_

_Jolt. The black dog has seized his scruff. He wheels around to rage on him, but something strikes him in the back and sends him crashing into the wall, where he lets out a sharp whine-cry. It’s the deer. That reminds him, a small inkling... he hungers for man. Not rat. So he lets it go and sits back down, studying his comapinions. The dog and the stag exchange looks, as well as two animals can, and then head around the upstairs hallway, walking into every room. The wolf-boy follows._

_They see the torn-up bedroom, the nigh-empty bathroom. They see the scratched floors of the kitchen and the battered boards over doors and windows. The shredded rugs, the holes in the walls. They see the wolf-boy’s prison. The wolf-boy is reminded of something, something drifting over from the whole-boy. The deer, the dog, even the small rat who has emerged from hiding and is walking close to the dog; he knows them. Not by scent, but in that silly man-way of sounds. And the whole-boy is happy, so the wolf-boy is content to follow them. Maybe even wrestle with the dog a little. They aren’t his pack yet, but they could be._


	2. Padfoot’s Parental Peril

They met at a small, dingy book store a short walk away from his house. The shelves were covered in books several decades out of print, and a box near the door contained a pile of dog-eared paperbacks for fifty cents a piece. Crusty carpet covered the uneven floorboards and luridly green calico spattered with water stains papered the walls. As Sirius stepped inside there was no doubt in his mind that this was an excellent plan. 

For the purpose of the excercise Remus was wearing muggle clothes and a thick coating of eyeliner. His hair was spiked artfully and his jeans were torn at the knees. When Sirius layed eyes on him he almost laughed out loud. The oddly dressed boy grinned, the dark circles under his eyes only adding to the effect.

“You sure you want to go through with this?” Remus asked, suddenly serious. Sirius nodded.

“There’s nothing better than disappointing my parents. And Regulas’s eyes will be this big, you’ll see.” The subsequent look was semi-annoyed, but no one ironically dressed like they just walked out of hot topic can stay serious for long, so the pair departed, making for 12 Grimauld place with no particular rush. “I appreciate you coming out here, mate.” Remus gave him a small grin that would’ve been better suited on James or Sirius himself than the studious werewolf.

“There’s nothing better than _helping_ you disappoint your parents.” He looks away. “Besides, I had nothing better to do. Mum’s making me apply for all these programs to study magic in other countries, for next summer. Interning for Gringotts, aid missions to foreign magical societies, that sort of thing.” He sighs. “Like they’ll take me once they realize I’m a werewolf.” Sirius puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder and smiles.

“They’re missing out, then.” And Remus returned the smile. They approached the tall, dark, gloomy-looking house. The thing looks about as welcoming as a lethifold. “Ready?” He nodded, and Sirius took his hand. He couldn’t help but wonder if this could be something more than an act, one day, but he silenced the thought. It wasn’t worth it to ruin the friendship.

They walked up the porch and through the door, into the clean yet drab entryway. Immediately eyes locked upon them, eyes belonging to the dozens of portraits lining the walls. The subjects began to whisper loudly among themselves and scurry from frame to frame like startled ants.

“- _that hair_! And that outrageous paint she’s got on her face!”

“Leave it to _him_ to bring home a strumpet. _My_ son would never-”

“That’s no girl! Merlin’s beard, that’s a boy!”

“-could’ve fooled me, with paint like that-”

None of these accusations bothered Sirius all that much. He could’ve become a Slytherin prefect, head boy, and betrothed to the nice pure-blood Greengrass girl they were always trying to foist off on him to boot and they _still_ would’ve found fault with his life. He didn’t want Remus to feel bad, though. Sure, he knew that his mother and, by extension, the rest of his family would fling a few nasty comments his way but Sirius was meant to bear the brunt of the attack.

Before he could say a word to his friend, his mother bustled into the hallway. Her robes were long, black, and shapeless. Extremely well made for such a simple pattern. Her semi-permanent scowl was fixed on her face, her hair tied back into a strange median of bun and pony tail. She reguarded Remus with a cold, hard gaze. The last time Sirius had seen her laugh at something other than the misfortune of others was when he was six. Her eyes travelled from the hair, to the eyeliner, to the clothing, finally landing on the spot where the two boys hands were linked.

“What is this, son?” If nothing else, Walburga Black knows how to keep her composure. Sirius fixes a grin to his face, feigning ignorance.

“Why, this is my dear friend Caleb Johnson!” He can almost see her blood pressure rise as he says the most muggle sounding name he can think of. Throwing an arm around Remus’s shoulders and yanking him closer doesn’t do much to help matters, besides causing Sirius’s heart to beat unreasonably fast.His mother simply stares for a few moments, finally managing to collect herself enough to respond.

“You didn’t tell me you were having company over.” Her eye twitches slightly. “We were going to have dinner with those lovely Abbotts later. I’m afraid this...” and here, she looked at Remus with a cold to rival 0 Kelvin, “ _young man_ will have to go. After all, it’s rude to have multiple guests over without letting them know ahead of time.” Sirius decided to keep up the innocent act and his out of place grin.

“I’m sure it will be fine, mother. The Abbotts won’t be here until six or seven, and it’s barely half-past noon!” He released Remus from his grip and led him up the stairs, pushing past his mother. Remus accidentally bumped her, and she scowled, looking down at her dress as though the boy had been covered in cow manure. On the way up to Sirius’s room they ran into Regulas, just as he had predicted.

For a moment he stood there looking mildly confused, then his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. The pair laughed, which made the younger boy redden.

“Mother is going to kill you.” Sirius clapped him on the shoulder with his free hand.

“She hasn’t yet!” he replied brightly, before pulling Remus along with him again. By the time they got to Sirius’s room, they’d been scoffed at by all manner of relatives, living and dead. Even Kreacher, the 3 million year old house elf, had lost his composure at the sight of them and stood, gaping, for a few moments. 

“That went about as well as I expected,” Sirius remarked, flopping down onto his bed. Remus was looking around the room with interest. The walls were covered in Gryffindor banners and muggle posters; anything that his parents would disapprove of. He took the desk chair and sat backwards on it, looking every inch the punk he was dressed as. Sirius looked at him for a minute there, admiring the view. He looked away when Remus’s gaze swirled back around, but apparently not quickly enough.

“I’m not blind, you know.” Sirius huffed, staring at the floor.

“Do we really have to have this conversation right here, right now?” He lifted his eyes to Remus’s. “Can’t it wait until-”

“No, it can’t.” The werewolf cut across him, his voice rising slightly. “We’ve been avoiding this conversation for years. There’s not going to be a good time to have it at this point.”

“So we have it at no time, then. Solid plan.” Sirius’s attempt at levity fell flat, and he knew it. He sighed. “Right. Fine. I think you’re hot and sometimes I want to kiss you. You don’t feel that way back. That work well enough for you?” Remus snorted.

“Very eloquent, Siri.” Then his voice softened. “It’s not that I don’t- well, ‘think you’re hot and sometimes want to kiss you’. It’s that I can’t.” Sirius shot him a look. “I’m a werewolf. You’re not. Can you imagine what your family would do if they found out you were going out with a werewolf? What anyone would do?”

“If they can’t see past all that then I don’t want them around me anyways!” Sirius said, his voice raised. Then he slumped his shoulders and sighs. “Did you see how they looked at you? Even if you wore dress robes and took all the makeup off they still wouldn’t like you because you’re a half-blood. There’s no point in pretending I’ll have it easier with someone else.” Remus folded his arms and looked up at his friend.

“What about James and Peter?” Sirius waved a dismissive hand in the air.

“What about them? If anyone will understand, it’s them. We’ve been friends since the train, James and I, and even if Peter didn’t like it, would he have the nerve to _say_ anything about it?” Remus gave him a hesitant half-smile.

“I still think it’s a bad idea.”

“I still think I don’t care.” Remus sighed.

“We don’t have to decide now.” He rubbed his hands on his eyes, smudging his eyeliner. Pulling his fingers away revealed the tips to be black. “Do you have somewhere I can wipe all this trash off?” Sirius smiled.

“Down the hall, third door on the left.” Remus nodded his thanks and left the room, leaving Sirius to stew over the conversation, and what it meant for their friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I know Hot Topic wasn’t around when the marauders were in school but I couldn’t think of a better description. Also, Harry Potter and Hot Topic have been permanently linked in my mind by the far superior work of Tara Gilesbe.


	3. Moony’s Marvelous Mates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn’t think of an alliterative title for this one. Sorry!

The Hogwarts toilets don’t like having people’s heads shoved down them. This is something Peter hadn’t known until one fateful run-in with Slytherins in early November. After trying (and failing, Peter was always failing) to dry himself off with a charm, he squished his way back to the common room where one of his friends could put him right.

Peter wasn’t like the others. He was always just a bit shorter, just a bit slower, just a bit pudgier. He wasn’t brave or smart or powerful. When they had learned to transform Peter had been the last to change. But for some strange reason they accepted him for who he was, and he loved them for it. The extent of Peter’s love for his friends wouldn’t be tested until much later, but for now he was simply happy with their company and confidence.

So when he made it back to the dorm and explained the situation, he wasn’t surprised when James and Sirius immediately began plotting an attack while Remus cast some sort of charm to dry his robes. Then he sat down at their table. _Sat down at their table._ It was quite lovely to have people who would let you do that.

“We have to do something about this.” James said, a serious expression on his face. Remus shot him a reproachful look.

“I can always write them up,” he ventured, gestering to the prefect’s badge glimmering on his chest. Sirius snorted.

“Oh no, they’ll get points taken off and have to polish trophies for three hours. They dunked Peter in a toilet for crying out loud, we have to get _some_ sort of revenge!” Remus sighed.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” James grinned.

“You had a bad feeling about the Animagus adventures, too, and look where we ended up!” Remus’s eyes darted around nervously. Luckily, it looked like no one was listening.

“Do you want the whole school to know?” The other boy waved a hand in the air flippantly.

“This lot wouldn’t notice if I yelled ‘pipe bomb’. Do you think they care about a word they’ve only heard uttered in Transfig?” Then he added, “They should, I just think they don’t.” Sirius shook his head.

“You and your Transfiguration.” He slammed a palm on the table, startling Peter. “Right. Well, if we’re going to get revenge on the Slytherins, we’ll need to start planning. Any ideas?”

“You could leave them alone and not get yourself in trouble with McGonagall?” Came a voice from behind. Remus was unsurprised, having seen her walk up beforehand, but the other three were startled.

“Hello, Lily.” He said, and Peter turned around in time to catch a quick nod in his direction before she frowned angrily at James, Sirius and (she can be scary sometimes) him. James sat up a little straighter, sliding a hand through his fly-away hair and grinning like a lunatic. 

“And how are we going to get in trouble with McGonagall if nobody knows it was us?” Lily crossed her arms.

“I’d love to see you get away with something and not brag about it.” 

“If I do it, will you finally go out with me?” She rolled her eyes and snorted.

“It always comes back to that with you, doesn’t it? I’ll say it again, Potter, when hell freezes over.” Then she turned and headed up the stairs to the girls dorm, leaving their fearless leader a little shell-shocked. He looked at Sirius.

“That went better than it usually does! She barely insulted me at all!” The other boy blinked at him.

“James, when are you going to accept that she’s not going to go out with you?” James punched him on the shoulder.

“One of these days...” Then he sighed and turned back to the rest of them. “Okay. So, how are we going to piss off the Slytherins?” Sirius looked off into the distance, as if contemplating.

“We could put a bunch of toilets in their common room,” Peter suggested. Sirius snorted.

“Hurt yourself coming up with that one, Wormtail?” Remus punched him in the other shoulder.

“You don’t need to be a dick.” Sirius looked properly chastised. “Anyway, if you’re going to do it with or without me I might as well throw my lot in. I have an idea.” Remus’s voice dropped in volume and the others drew closer. “There’s that big Quidditch match coming up this weekend. We hide under the stands during the match and then, when the team is about to take flight, we Augamenti right over their heads. Do it right and the team will be soaked for the whole match.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” asked Peter, adding, “And I don’t think all of the people who attacked me were on the Quidditch team.” Sirius clapped him on the back, looking delighted to be the hitter for once.

“You worry too much. Just seeing their team lose will probably ruin their days.” Peter shrugged, but he wasn’t one to argue with Sirius. He didn’t argue much with anyone, actually. That was how you stayed safe. By nodding your head when the bully fighters threw you a bone.

* * *

Everyone was in position. James had gone out on the Quidditch field beforehand (because he happened to be on the team) after cursing the fact that all he could do was pretend to be shocked. Meanwhile, Remus, Sirius, and Peter slipped the watchful eyes of the teachers and slid underneath the stands. Half-crouching, they ambled through the dark until they had arrived at the center of the pitch. Shooting the other team with water and not hitting the Gryffindors would be difficult but not impossible. Peter was more concerned with his charm actually making it that far.

“So you’re actually going to go through with it.” The trio whirled around to see Lily Evans standing there, arms crossed. Sirius glared at her.

“I don’t see what you’re here for, unless you’re trying to help your little Slytherin boyfriend out again.” She opened her mouth, face reddening, but he continued before she could get a word in. “Some of those brutes dunked Peter in a toilet. We’re here to get revenge.” 

“For one thing, Severus was never my boyfriend. For another, I haven’t spoken to him since last year.” She glared at Sirius, and it soon became an eye-based stand off. He looked away first. It was silent (well, as silent as it can get under the bleachers at a Quidditch match) and they all looked at Lily warily, waiting for her to turn them in or something. Then she surprised them by asking, “What are you planning on doing?”

“We’re going to give them a little drink.” said Remus, who had been silently watching the entire time. “It won’t hurt anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She didn’t say anything for a moment, as if she was contemplating something. Then, she did the most surprising thing of all.

“Can I help?” The three boys gaped at her. Above them, the stands were settling down, spectators finding their seats. The match would start any minute now. Sirius gave her an incredulous look.

“Is this some sort of joke? _The_ Lily Evans attacking the Slytherin Quidditch team?” She rolled her eyes and turned away.

“Fine, then. I can leave.” Sirius looked a little torn. Remus nodded at him, and then he reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

“You don’t have to leave. I’m just... surprised.” He gestured to the spot next to Peter where they’d peeled back part of the base’s canvas. She slotted in next to him and stared out into the field, green eyes flashing. Lily was quite intimidating. Top of their year in potions, capable spell caster, and, worst of all, the long term object of James Potter’s affections. He found himself casually sidestepping away from her. “On my mark, we’re going to blast their team with water.” 

A sudden hush swept over the stands. From the changing rooms emerged figures clad in scarlet and gold, green and silver. Peter’s grip tightened on his wand. Remus took a deep breath to his right, and Lily to his left. The Marauders and company leaned forward. The moment seemed to drag on forever; perhaps it really did.

“Now!” Sirius cried finally, and four shouts of ‘Aguamenti’ could’ve been heard if the crowd wasn’t in the midst of pre-match excited chatter. Three jets of water and one stream shot forth and, as if in slow motion, honed in on the Slytherins. There was no time for any of them to prepare, and very little they could do to shield themselves. Soon enough, all of the charms had found their targets, even the weaker stream.

The team was not prepared for the attack in the slightest, and simply stood there for a moment, water spraying their brooms and drenching them to the skins. Then they broke rank and ran, yelping and cursing. Sirius called a halt and the deluge ceased. The Slytherin Quidditch team stood their for a moment, dripping and shivering. The crowd was silent. As Sirius and Lily rolled the flap back down, quiet whispering broke out, followed by loud laughter. 

The four made their way back out from under the stands, sharing grins of congratulation. As they ascended one tower, hoping to slide into seats before anyone noticed they were gone, Lily joining them felt like the most normal thing in the world. But, as they reached the first opening and she made to go out, reality was brought jolting back. She halted, looking back at Sirius.

“We’re not friends.” The other two stopped and watched what was going down. “And you’re still some of the biggest jerks I’ve ever seen.” They simply stared at each other for a moment, expressions unreadable. Then, unexpectedly, Sirius grinned and nodded at her.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. You’re alright, Evans. For a prefect.” Peter wasn’t sure, but she may have smiled back. Just a little. Then she turned and walked over to her other friends while the Marauders continued on.

“That was unexpected.” Remus noted as they slid into the back of the stands.

“James is going to explode when he finds out _Lily Evans_ showed up and he was out on the pitch.” Sirius said. Peter wasn’t listening to them. He was looking down at the field where the coach and heads of house were trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. One of the boys on the team looked familiar, though Peter didn’t think it was from the bathroom. He couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Think she’ll turn us in?” Peter asked, concerned. Sirius shrugged.

“Dunno. I’d say she’s no more likely to turn us in than _we_ are to turn _her_ in, seeing as she was there.” Peter frowned.

“Why would we turn her in? We’d get in just as much trouble.” Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“That’s what I just said. Honestly, Peter.” He glanced down at the field, and seemed to be watching the same player as Peter had been. “Anyways, I’d never turn you lot in. Her either, I guess. Though James would turn me into a frog if I tried.” Peter smiled. It was nice to have friends that wouldn’t turn you in. Friends that you could trust.


End file.
